We were settled at a watering place along a route the people travelled, and riders would pass by us. We would ask them, "What news of the people? What news of the people? Who is this man?"They would reply, "He claims that Allah has sent him, that revelation has come to him," or, "Allah has revealed such-and-such to him."I would memorize those words, as though they were being planted in my chest. The Arabs were holding back their acceptance of Islam until the conquest of Mecca, saying, "Leave him and his people alone. If he prevails over them, then he is a truthful prophet."When the conquest took place, every tribe rushed to embrace Islam, and my father raced ahead of my people in declaring his Islam. When he returned, he said, "By Allah, I have come to you from the true Prophet ﷺ. He said, 'Pray such-and-such prayer at such-and-such time, and pray such-and-such at such-and-such time. When the time of prayer comes, let one of you give the call to prayer, and let the one among you who knows the most Quran lead you.'"They looked around, and there was no one who knew more Quran than I did, because of what I had picked up from the passing riders. So they put me forward to lead them, and I was a boy of six or seven years. I had on a small cloak, and whenever I prostrated, it would ride up and expose me.A woman of the tribe said, "Will you not cover the backside of your reciter from us?"So they bought some cloth and cut a shirt for me. I have never been so delighted with anything as I was with that shirt.
كنا بماء ممر الناس، وكان يمربنا الركبان فتسألهم ما للناس؟ ما للناس؟ ما هذا الرجل؟ فيقولون: يزعم أن الله أرسله أوحى إليه، أو أوحى الله بكذا فكنت أحفظ ذلك الكلام، وكأنما يغرى في صدري، وكانت العرب تلوم بإسلامهم الفتح، فيقولون اتركوه وقومه، فإنه إن ظهر عليهم فهو نبي صادق. فلماكانت وقعة أهل الفتح بادر كل قوم بإسلامهم، وبدر أبي قومي بإسلامهم، فلما قدم قال: جئتكم والله من عند النبي ﷺ حقا، فقال: صلوا صلاة كذا في حين كذا، وصلوا كذا في حين كذا، فإذا حضرت الصلاة، فليؤذن أحدكم، وليؤمكم أكثركم قرآنا فنظروا فلم يكن أحدأكثر قرآنا مني، لما كنت أتلقى من الركبان، فقدموني بين أيديهم، وأنا ابن ست أو سبع سنين وكانت علي بردة، كنت إذا سجدت تقلصت عني، فقالت امرأة من الحي: ألا تغطون عنا است قارئكم. فاشتروافقطعوا لي قميصا، فما فرحت بشيء فرحي بذلك القميص.
Bukhari narrated it in the chapter on military expeditions (4302), from Sulayman bin Harb, who said, Hammad bin Zayd narrated to us, from Ayub, from Abu Qilaba, from Amr bin Salama, who said, Abu Qilaba said to me, "Why don't you meet him and ask him?" He said, So I met him and asked him, and he mentioned it.